A Deal with the devil

Chapter 1: A deal with the devil 

Avery sat quietly in the passenger seat, apprehensions eating her up. She had been here for the past twenty minutes, patiently waiting for the woman who will lead her through the surrogacy process 

Avery fingers twisted anxiously in her lap as she stared out the window, contemplating if she should do this, but she had no choice. 

Besides her was Ava, her friend. Who had followed her here. 

Ava noticed how nervous Avery was, and held her hand. 

“You don't have to do this,” Ava said, breaking the silence. 

 Avery exhaled in deeply and smile at her 

“I do!” Avery grip on the wheel tightened. “This isn't about money, Avery. These people, you don't know what they're capable of. Once you sign that contract, you're tied to them. You just can't walk away.” Ava murmured slowly, her tone portraying concern and worries. 

She didn't want her friend to make a mistake she might regret. 

What else can she do apart from saving her dying mother who has been hospitalised for some days now? 

Her mother was suffering from a brain tumour which has turned into Glioblastoma within a short period of time. 

And she needs to deposit the sum of fifteen thousand dollars (15,000) for her to be treated. 

“I don't have a choice, Ava. Besides the pay is worth it”,Avery breath itched with panic as she stared at the ceiling nervously, biting her lips while tipping the ground. 

The opening sounds of the door pulled their attention, and there beheld a woman in her early fifty. 

Linda carter. 

 Linda was a professional when it comes to her job. She was a matchmaker, a council and an agency for surrogacy. 

She scanned through the two of them and could tell the one doing the surrogacy because of her facial expressions. 

“You are Avery Sinclair right?” She asked, though it wasn't really a question. Avery flinched at the mention of her name and stood up to greet her. 

She has heard a lot about the woman but never for once did you think she would get to see her in real life. 

Avery could tell that the woman's aura was strong. The scent of her perfume alone flooded the room, making Avery yawn every second. 

“Follow me,” Linda said briskly, turning on her heel as Avery shot Ava a gaze before following the woman through the frosted glass doors of the agency. 

Avery was welcomed into the office by the cold temperature of the room. The office was minimalist, sterile. The walls were decorated with photos of glowing pregnant women, each carefully curated to the project warmth and success. 

Avery was led to a small conference room where a thick stack of papers sat waiting on the polished table. 

Linda gestured for her to sit. “This is the contract,” she said, tapping the first page. “It outlines the terms of your surrogacy agreement. You will carry a child for Mr. And mrs. Robert, in exchange for financial compensation. There are confidentiality clauses, medical requirements, and post birth arrangements that must be adhered to without question.” 

Avery's hand trembled as she reached the first page. 

The rules seem very strict. She must be careful when reading it so she doesn't miss any interesting part that might likely ruin her life. Her future. 

“The contract is Airtight,” Linda continued, not giving her enough time to think. Time wasn't on her side so she needed to wrap this up as soon as possible. 

“Once you sign, you cannot back out. Do you understand?” Linda wanted to make sure she knew what she was going to do. 

It isn't about the money but about knowing what you're going for and the consequences that follow it in the future. 

So Linda wanted her to reflect on that, so that she wouldn't have a reason to regret this decision later in life. 

Avery hesitated for a while, her gaze was still fixed on the contract. Avery knew this was taking a hold of her when she began to feel hot all of a sudden. 

She could feel her forehead, forming some particles of sweat. Her finger's palm was already evident. 

That was it, the moment that would change her life forever. 

She thought of her mother, lying in a hospital bed. Her medical bills are piling up with no end in sight. She thought of the nights she had spent crying herself to sleep, wondering how she would survive with no job. 

She had no other options but to do this. This was her only hope. A life changing opportunity. 

With a deep breath, she picked up the pen and signed her name. And the contract was signed and sealed. 

After the signing process, Avery was carried in a car to a penthouse suite of a five star hotel, as instructed by the couple who needed the surrogate mother. 

Avery's gaze dropped down in shock on seeing the couples who she was going to be their surrogacy. 

She knew Landon Robert so she wasn't shocked, but what shocked her was his wife. 

Gianna Smith. She had remembered the woman, the woman she had met at the hospital yesterday. 

Gianna's eyes dilated in shock at the sight of the rude lady in front of her. She was disappointed, furious and annoyed on how she got the nerves to still be here after their encounter. 

“Call Linda, she needs to find us another one. There's no way I'm allowing this bitch to be our surrogate mother,” 

For a while, Landon tries to fathom why she was saying that until he remembered the report she made to him yesterday, concerning a lady who stepped on her diamond dream stiletto shoes. With the way she was covering her Face in shame, he figured it out. 

“ Is she the one?” Landon question, just wanting to be sure. And disappointedly, she nodded her head in agreement. 

But unfortunately, this would be the first time he wouldn't listen to her. The first time he wouldn't agree to his opinion because he had already liked this girl and he thinks she is fit for this job. 

“Please my love,send her away,” Gianna murmured at him huskily, touching his beard while making a puppy face at him.

“Forgive her, Gianna. Besides, time isn't on our side anymore.” Gianna was disappointed to hear the words “forgive “ coming from her husband's mouth. She was really disappointed that he turned her down. 

Avery didn't want to lose this job, so she needs to win the man's sympathy for this thing to work. Avery quickly knelt down,bowed her head to apologise. 

The apologise wasn't really coming from her mind, she can't believe she has to lower her ego, for this woman just to be accepted by her. 

“Stand up!” She finally responded after watching her kneel for some minutes. 

“You've signed the contract,” Gianna said, crossing her legs. “That means you belong to us until this pregnancy is over. Do you understand? Gianna blunted out rudely and Avery nodded, her throat dry. 

“Good,” said Gianna. “Because if you step out of line, I will make you regret it.” She yelled at her harshly, like an angry bird, pissing Landon off with such an attitude. 

“That's enough, Gianna.” He sure couldn't keep up with her attitude anymore. Gianna ignored him and continued lecturing Avery. 

“You won't dare speak about this arrangement to anyone, " she continued. “You will not interfere in our lives. The moment you give birth, you'll disappear like sand.” 

Avery swallowed hard but nodded again. Landon exhaled and held her hand. 

“Let's get this over with. The hospital is expecting us.” 

*****

At the hospital, Avery was led into a private room where a team of doctors and nurses were already preparing for the procedure. 

The plan was simple: gestational surrogacy. Landon’s sperm and a donor egg from Gianna would be used, meaning Avery would have no biological connection to the child. After the sperms and donor egg was taken from Landon and his wife, they walked away immediately saying they have a meeting to attend. 

She lay on the exam table, staring up at the fluorescent light as the doctor began the procedure. 

But then,... Something went wrong. 

The doctor frowned, flipping through the results of her preliminary tests. “This doesn't look right.” 

Avery’s stomach clenched at the complaint of the doctor. 

“What's wrong?” The doctor hesitated before looking up. 

“Your body isn't reacting well to the embryo. The chances of implantation are extremely low.” 

Avery felt the blood drain from her Face. 

“What does that mean?” 

The doctor sighed for a while, perplexed about the whole thing. 

“It means gestational surrogacy won't work. If you want to move forward, we would need to switch to traditional surrogacy, using your eggs instead of the donor. 

Avery caught a breath in her throat on hearing the doctor's explanation. 

This is quite confusing. It's a hard choice for her to make. 

Their agreement was for her to do gestational surrogacy, and not traditional surrogacy.

Because if she proceeds with the traditional surrogacy, then that means the baby wouldn't just be Landon's and Gianna, it'll be hers. 

Avery panics for a while, her chest pounding in her heart. “But that wasn't the plan __” 

“I know,” the doctor said gently. But it's the only viable option. 

Avery's mind raced in panic and confusion. If she refused, the deal would be off, the money would be gone and with it, her only chance to save her mother. 

Landon wasn't here, he had left before the result came in, Gianna hadn't arrived yet. 

This was her decision, a choice to make.

She squeezed her eyes shut. 

Then took a deep breath and whispered “do it!”